Magnetizable-conductor conduit system.



No. 781,984. PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905. W. J. ALEXANDER.

MAGNETIZABLE CONDUCTOR GONDUIT SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1.1904.

3 SHEETS-451231 l.

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PATBNTED FEB. 7, 1905.

W. J. ALEXANDER.

MAGNETIZABLE CONDUCTOR GONDUIT SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1.1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mfnesses MAGNETIZABLE CONDUCTOR GONDUIT SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1.1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES Patented February '7, 1905.

PATENT EEIcE.

'ILLIAM JOSIAH ALEXANDER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,

ASSIGNOR TO UNION ELECTRIC CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF IOlVA.

lVIAGNETIZABLE-CONDUCTOR CONDUIT SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,984, dated February 7, 1905,

Application filed July I, 1904. Serial No. 214,908.

To (til lr/w'nt it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVILLLiM JOSIAH ALEX- ANDEH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Magnetizable Conductor Conduit Systems, of which the following is a specification.

.\Iy invention relates to magnetizable-conductor conduit systems, and may be more closely classified as belonging to that structural variety of electrically-operated railways including in general terms a closed conduit containing a substantially loose iron cable resting usually upon an insulating-bed, a magnet borne by the car and adapted to raise successive portions of the cable into contact with a conducting plate or strip within the conduit, and exterior-1y arranged exposed contact plates or rails from which the motor-current is collected, such rails being connected with the conducting-strip mentioned as being within the closed conduit.

In systen'is of the character stated the exposed rail is customarily sectional, one or at the most two relatively short lengths only being electrically energized as the car passes above them. So far as I am aware, however, the magnetizable cable now used in the conduit is continuous, rendering it CliifiCLllt to subject it throughout to a desirable tension in order to attain the most satisfactory results in operation and making its renewal when necessary or the repair of any special portion of it a matter of considerable labor and the cable, particularly with respect to por tions near their ends, is also a feature and ob ect of my invention.

I accomplish the stated ob ects by constructing and associating the parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of Which Figure l is a plan view of a short length of track, a portion of the covering of the conduit and manholes being removed to expose underlying parts. Fig. 2 represents a crosssection of the conduit and exposed contactrail shown in the third figure. Fig. 3 is a side view, partly in vertical section, showing the magnet on the car and the iron cables raised thereby. This view is taken immediately over one of the manholes and represents both cables as lifted by the magnet. Fig. a is a vertical longitudinal section through two manholes and the intervening length of track. Fig. 5 represents a plan view with a portion of the covering of the conduitremoved to exhibit the winding drums or winches for drawing upon the cable-divisions. This is a modilied form of the invention. Fig. 6 represents a cross-section of conduit and track for use in cities, and Fig. 7 is a like cross-section of the track construction on suburban lines. Fig. 8 is an end view of the winch, showing the ratchet and pawl; and Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the winch and short cables upon which it acts directly.

Like numbers are used to refer to the same parts in all the views.

Rails 1 are laid upon sleepers 2 in the ordinary manner.

The conduit may be composed of the basestringer 3,resting upon the ties, the sides T and cover 5, all made of wood, thoroughly ind urated with pitch or other preserving substance, the

base, sides, and cover being held together by detachable contrivances of any desired character (not shown) and forming no part of my invention, and the conduit suitably sealed to exclude moisture.

\Vithin the conduit (see Figs. .2, 6, and T) are the channeled insulators 6, at the bottom of which the cable-divisions T normally lie. The

cable is formed of soft-iron or soft-steel wire strands and in practice rests dlrectly below the inverted-V-shaped conductorsb, into which the successive portions of the cable are upwardly drawn by the magnet 9 on the car. In Fig. 6 it will be noted that the pole of the magnet passes lengthwise ofthe cable-divisions and directly above them, as is commonly the arrangement in this type of electrical railway equipment. In Fig. 3 the magnet 9 is shown as passing over a manhole, and the adjacent and parallel ends of two cable-divisions 7 are raised together temporarily, as illustrated, and this position of the magnet will be again referred to herein. In Figs. 2 and 6 the connection between the interior V-shaped conductors 8 within the sealed conduit and the exposed contact-rail 10, situated upon one side and without the conduit, are illustrated. In Fig. 7, which represents the preferred track construction for suburban lines, the exposed contact element comprises a metallic anglestrip 11. In all respects, however, the strip is equivalent to the rail 10. The motor-current is collected from rail or strip by means of trolley-wheels 12, (see Figs. 3 and 6,) or in any chosen or efiective way.

Manholes or vaults 13 (shown in Fig. 4) receive the ends of succeeding cable-divisions which pass over insulator-pulleys 14 and are attached to the upper extremities of the pivoted links 15. These upper ends of the links are connected by independent pieces of cable 15 the oflice of which is to draw the secured ends of the cable-divisions nearer together by means of the winch 16. Fig. 5 best shows the winch 16, the axis 17 of which possesses an end squared for the reception of a detachable crank by which it may be turned, and a ratchet 18 and pawl 19 to prevent relaxing of the cabledivisions after tension has been applied. The manholes also contain the ends of the insulated feeder-conductors 20 and the branches 21 thereof shown as connected with succeeding cable-divisions in order that all may be charged and ready to serve motor-current when the magnet passes above and lifts them into operative positions, as explained.

No manholes are employed in the modified construction. (IllustrateclinFig.5.) Alateral extension 22 of the conduit is provided with ,an insulator-pulley 23 at the end of each cabledivision, and the Winch 16 is located therein. The connection between the feeder 20 and the cable-divisions may be made at any point and not necessarily within the manholes or vaults.

It is believed to be now clear that each cabledivision may be subjected to exactly the amount of tension at which it is found to work best, having in view its length. It is not essential that each cable-division should be precisely the same in length as all the others. Attention is furthermore called to the fact that the ends of the cable-divisions are fastened and the cable cannot creep under the dragging effect of the passing magnet.

Returning to the consideration of Figs. 1,2, and 3,it will be noted that the magnet 9 is acting above that portion of the conduit in which the two ends of succeeding cable-divisions lie together. Both cables are lifted into the inverted-V-shaped internal conductors 8. As the magnet passes along, for example, in the direction of the arrow it approaches the point at which the end of one cable-division is tied to the pivoted link, and the downward reactionary pull of the link finally overcomes the attraction of the magnet, and the cable is dropped into its channeled insulator 6. The next cable-division, however, which was also lifted by the magnet, still remains raised and serving motor-current in the customary manner until in turn its end is also approached at the next manhole 13.

The operation of myinvention is that common to installations of this nature and purpose. Contact-rail 10 is made up usually of relatively short lengths separated by an insulator 24. At most but two of these lengths are energized simultaneously, and if two of them, about equal in length the extent of the car, the magnet being directly beneath the middle of the car,no charged conductor is exposed beyond the car. When no car is passing, all portions of rail 10 are dead.

Having thus described my invention and explained the mode of its operation,what I claim 1. In a magnetizable-conductor conduit system, the combination with a closed conduit,of electrically charged magnetizable cable-divisions within the conduit having their end portions extending side by side past each other and independent of each other, securing devices for holding the ends of said divisions, insulating-supports for said cable-divisions, an exteriorly-exposcd contact-rail and connected conducting means disposed in the path of said cable-divisions and their said extending end portions when magnetically raised whereby the exposed rail is charged, said end portions of the cable-divisions arranged to be magnetically raised together thereby maintaining the circuit to the car uninterrupted and one end portion being dropped as a car passes from one cable-division to another.

2. In a magnetiZable-conductor conduit system, the combination with a closed conduit, of electrically-charged magnetizable cable-divisions within the conduit having their end portions extending side by side past each other and independent of each other, securing devices for holding the ends of said divisions, insulating-supports for said cable-divisions, an exteriorly-exposed contact-rail and connected conducting means disposed in the path of said cable-divisions and their said extending end portions when magnetically raised whereby the exposed rail is charged, the said exposed rail being formed of succeeding sections insulated from each other, said end portions of the cable-divisions arranged to be magnetically raised together thereby maintaining the circuit to the car uninterrupted and one end portion being dropped as a car passes from one cable-division to another.

3. in a inagnetiZable-eonductor conduitsystem, the combination with a closed conduit, of electrically-charged magnetizable cable-divisions within the conduit having their end portions extending side by side past each other and independent of each other, securing devices for holding the ends of said cable-divisions, take-up mechanism adapted to draw upon said securing devices andtake up the slack of the cable-divisions, insulating-supports for said cable-divisions, an exteriorlyexposed contact-rail and connected conducting means disposed in the path of said cabledivisions and their said extending end portions when magnetically raised whereby the exposed rail is charged, said end portions of the cabledivisions arranged to be magnetically raised together thereby maintaining the circuit to the car uninterrupted and one end portion being dropped as a car passes from one cable-division to another.

a. In a magnetizable-conductor conduit system, the combination with aclosed conduit, of electrically-charged magnetizable cable-divisions within the conduit having their end portions extending side by side past each other and independent of each other, securing devices for holding the ends of said cable-divisions, take-up mechanism arranged between and adapted to draw simultaneously upon said securing devices and take up the slack of the cabledivisions, insulating-Snpports for said cable-divisions,an exteriorly-cxposed contactrail and connected conducting means disposed in the path of said cable-divisions and their said extending end portions when magnetically raised whereby the exposed rail is charged, said end portions of the cable-divisions arranged to be magnetically raised together thereby maintaining the circuit to the car uninterrupted and one end portion being dropped as a car passes from one cable-division to another.

5. In a magnetizable-comluctor conduit systom, the combination with a closed conduit, of magnetizable cable-divisions within the conduit, portions near the ends of succeeding cable-divisions being arranged parallel to each other. devices adapted to take up the slack in said cable-divisions and for securing the ends of said cable-divisions, means for supporting and insulating the cable-divisions, conductors within the conduit arranged directly above the cable-divisions, and an exteriorly-exposed contact-rail connected with said conductor.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM JOSIAH ALEXANDER.

\Vitnesses:

MURRAY S. UnIsM, FRANK P. FuL'roN, Jr. 

